Apparatus for sealing shipping cases



' Feb. 23, 1932.

H. R. BLISS ET AL 1,846,945

APPARATUS FOR SEALING SHIPPING CASES Filed Jan. 24, 1929 s'sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR5 #59 5978 50.15 flaw/9E0 g flzzz-w Feb. 23, 1932. H. R. BLISS ET AL 1,346,945

APPARATUS FOR SEALING SHIPPING CASES Filed Jan. 24, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' INVENTORJ AZ-WaE/e T K (fix/$5 Feb. 23, 1932. H R Bu ET AL 1,846,945

APPARATUS FOR SEALING SHIPPING CASES Filed Jan. 24, 1929 3 Sheets-Shem 3 INVENTORJ A e/eazer ejz/ss BY gawflazw AT 0 EY.

Patented Feb. 23, 1 932 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE}! nnminn'r n. BLISS AND nowABn e. ALLEN, or NIAGARA FA LS, NEW Yonx, Assrenons p T0 H. R. BLISS COMPANY, INC., 0]? FALLS; NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK 'ArrAnA'rus non SEALING SHIPPING oAsEs This invention relates to an apparatus for sealing shipping cases, with special reference to fibre board cases. j

The principal object to be carried out by the method is that of expediting the sealing of filled fibre board cases in such a way as to require a minimum amount of handling or moving of the filled case. Essentially. the method consists of moving a filled case along a path, which advantageously, may be a straight line, and at this time of movement, sealing the case by taking stitches through flaps of the case as the same moves; the movement and the taking of the stitches being so synchronized preferably, as to properly space the stitches. The apparatus for carrying out this method comprises a machine for taking wire stitches, which, however, is well known in the art; but in conjunction with this machine, mechanism is provided for moving the shipping case and properly guiding the same and supporting the same at critical points so that. the stitches may be taken through the fibre board parts.

In the accompanying drag ingsz Fig. 1 is a view illustra ing'a filled fibre board case associated with the stitching mechanism and illustrating the case and some of the parts in cross section.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an appa: ratus which may be employed in carrying out the invention.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of an anvil which may be used in conjunction with the stitching machine. V Fig. 4 is an elevation of the anvil looking on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation looking at the anvil on line 55 of Fig. 3.

The mechanism by means of which the method may be carried out includes a stitching machine which, as shown-in Fig. 1, may be in the form of the pedestal type having an upright pedestal 1, a stitcher head 2, and suitable power means, such as a motor 3. The mechanism of the stitcher need not be described in detail, inasmuch as machines of this character are well known in the art.

- Associated with this stitcher, however, is a support for holding filled cases. Such a support may bea relatively small one car-- ried directly by the pedestal of the stitching machine, or it may be a separate and larger support. As shown in Fig. 2, this support, as referenced 5, is carried directly by the pedestal and it includes rollers'6 with an endless belt 7. The container 10 being placed on this belt can be pushed past the stitcher head. Such a construction is advantageous for a small user, where the stitching is performed, or rather the handling ofthe boxes is performed, more or less by hand. It is within this invention, however, to make the support 5 in the form of a long table which would hold quite a number of boxes and in which these boxes would be fed past the machine either automatically or by hand, as may suit the desire of the user.

Also, this support is preferably adjustable as for height so that it can be adjusted for difierent sized boxes. This construction, however, is not claimed in this application, and accordingly is not shown. However, reference may be had to application, Serial No. 238,754, filed-December 9, 1927 by Howard G. Allen, one of the joint inventors which shows an adjustable table construction as being one form of a table which may be used.

It is the intention to also support the container against lateral movement as regards the stitching machine, or rather to accurately osition the same in its path of movement.

or this purpose the table may be equipped with opposed guiding devices 11 which may be held by rods 12 slidably adjustablein locks 13. Clamping screws 14 may be used for holding rods after adjustment has been attained.

The invention further contemplates supporting of the box from the exterior at points near the extreme top of the box and practically in the plane of stitching.

Suitable apparatus for this may comprise a cross rod 15 carried by the stitching machine upon which are mounted roller-supporting members 16. These members slide upon the rod 15 and may be adjusted and held in position as by means of screws 17. Rsotatably carried by members 16 are rollers 1 the top of the box, but they are also positioned in a vertical plane which is in close proximity to the vertical plane of the stltch- 111 is illustrated in Fig. 1, the container is filled with articles, and as the same is moved on its support between the guides 11, the top of the container, or rather, the side Walls near the top, are urged in against the filled articles. The rollers 18 do this, and they are to be adjusted so that the top flap 20 of the box and the sealing flap 21 are overlapped precisely the exact amount so that when the stitchesare taken through these two members the box" is properly assembled.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it is necessaryto describe the anvil or type of anvil which is to he used. Such an anvil is shown and claimed in application, Serial No. 329,17 9, filed December 29, 1928, by H. R. Bliss, one of the joint inventors and in Figs. 3, 4:, and 5 herein, we depict such an anvil. This anvil comprises a support 22 which may be secured to the stitcher head, as shown in Fig. 1. Rigidly secured to this support is a blade anvil 23 provided with clinches 24 against which the legs of the stitch are directed to be clinched. Attached to the blade part 2-3 is a support or guide 25 and it is secured to the blade by means of a vertical wall connection 26 so that the two are vertically spaced apart, thus providing a space 27.

As shown in Fig. 1, the flap 20 of the box moves over the blade anvil part, and to aid in effecting this, a curved guide 28 may be provided for engaging the flap and causing it to closely adhere to the blade anvil. The.sealing flap 21 moves under the blade anvil part in the space 27. "However, after the cover wing 20 and sealing flap pass the support, the two are guided up over the clinches 24 which lie immediately below the stitch-driving mechanism, so that, upon operation of the stitch-driving mechanism, the two are stitched together. Viewing Fig. 3, where the flaps are shown in dotted lines these flaps are moved from left to right, and it will be seen that when they are stitched together at the clinches 24, that they are free to continue on in this movement without obstruction.

The essential idea is that this anvil which is used in conjunction with the apparatus and for carrying out the method is one which, while it may be flexible to a certain degree so that it flexes under stitching impact, yet it is sufliciently still' and rigid to overcome this impact independently of other support.

The anvil is thin so as to lie between the case flaps and the contents of the case, and its thinness results in some flexibility although flexibility is not controlling.

9 Claims:

1. The combination with a stitcher head,

of a supportadapted to carry an assembled terior during its movement and in a horizontal plane approximating that of the point of stitching whereby said flaps are properly positioned relative to each other.

2. The combination with a stitcher head,

of a support for carrying a container .or the like, a supporting member positioned adjacent the stitching head and disposed transversely of the container carried by the said support, a blade anvil adapted to underlie certain flaps of the container, and an adjust able device carried by the said second named support which exteriorly engages the con tainer.

3. The combination with a stitcher head, of a support for carrying a container or the like, a supporting member positioned adjacent the stitching head and disposed transversely of the container carried by the said support, a blade anvil adapted to underlie certain flaps of the container, and adjustable devices carried by the said second named support which exteriorly engage the container, said adjustable devices comprising rollers which engage opposite sides of the container near the top line thereof. j

4. The combination with a stitcher head, of a support positioned below the stitcher head and arranged to carry an assembled fiber board container across the same, an open head blade anvil having stitch clinching parts, and which is sufiiciently rigid to overcome the stitching impact independently of outside support, means supporting the blade anvil in close proximity to the stitcher head whereby the same is adapted to underlie certain flaps which form the uppermost side of the assembled container, said support and open head blade anvil being such that a container may be moved across the support in one direction only so that the container need not again move under the stitcher head after stitches are taken, and means for supporting the exterior of the container adjacent the horizontal plane of the flaps to be stitched and adjacent the vertical plane taken through the point of stitching.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

HERBERT R. BLISS. HOWARD G. ALLEN. 

